Violent attacks soared. Political instability grew. Censorship deepened. But economic green shoots and an Olympics gold medal brought some hope.
Islamabad, Pakistan – Some 15 years ago, famous Pakistani pop singer Shehzad Roy released a song, titled Laga Reh (Keep at it), which started with the singer recalling what he saw on TV in his childhood.
“When I was 10 years old, I heard on 9 o’clock news that Pakistan is passing through a critical juncture in its history,” Roy intones. A short, sharp guitar riff and a drum solo follow, after which Roy adds: “When I turned 20, I again heard on the 9 o’clock news that Pakistan is passing through a critical juncture in its history.”
The song was released in 2008, the year Pakistan saw its first election after the end of the nine-year military rule of General Pervez Musharraf. Many observers at the time felt it was arguably the most crucial poll in the country’s six decades of existence, as it faced existential challenges on political, economic, and security fronts.
As I began to write this piece reflecting on how Pakistan fared in 2024, which began with analysts dubbing it the most critical year for the country of 250 million people, I could not help but recall Roy’s song.
I began my journalism career two years after its release, and I often wonder: while so much has changed in the country since 2008, has anything really, truly changed?
Violence; a volatile political landscape; censorship; military ingress; a precariously placed economy; politicians benefitting from the largesse of the security establishment only to turn against it later – it is a pattern that repeats itself without fail.
